


A Little Secret

by shameonme23



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies)
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Brotherly Affection, Gen, Hair Braiding, My First Fanfic, bigbrother!Fili, hurt!Kili
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-27
Updated: 2014-06-27
Packaged: 2018-02-06 12:13:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1857642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shameonme23/pseuds/shameonme23
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set after Thorin and Co are discovered in Laketown, Fili and Kili have a little time away from the others.<br/>Just my take on how Fili got his braids back after the barrel ride. </p><p>No shippy stuff, (well, maybe if you squint) just some cute brotherly fluff.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Little Secret

**Author's Note:**

> Unbetaed so all mistakes are mine. Be gentle, this is my first fanfic.  
> Comments are lovelovelove!

Fili sighed as he sank into the warm bath. It was the nicest thing he had gotten to enjoy in a long while. And the most needed.  
That fish smell was starting to make him ill.  
Thorin had made his speech to the Men of Laketown an hour ago, promising the Men wealth beyond measure. Ever since the dwarves had been treated like royalty. They had been given weapons and new armor, water for bathing and as much food and drink as could be spared by the people.  
Now he and his brother were washing up. They had both declined the offers of food. Kili because of his injury and Fili because he was worried for his little brother.  
His head rested on the raised back of the tub. The heat of the water helped relax his muscles and he couldn’t keep himself from moaning.  
“Do you truly think we will find the door before Durin’s Day ends?”  
Fili opened his eyes, not even remembering when he had closed them, and glanced over at his brother, who was tugging his clothes off in jerky movements.  
“Thorin has never let us down, I don’t expect he will start now,” he replied. “Why? Are you worried we won’t make it?”  
Kili shrugged, keeping his body turned slightly to the right to keep Fili from seeing his wound. “It just seems like everything has been working against us. It would just be our luck if something else were to happen to keep us from our quest.”  
Fili nodded understandingly. He scooted over in the tub to allow Kili room to slide in. As soon as the other was settled in front of him he pulled him against his chest and ran a washrag over his brother’s broad chest.  
“I think at that point Uncle will tear down the walls of Erebor with his bare hands,” he chuckled. He moved the cloth lower until he reached Kili’s wound. Out of respect he didn’t look. Knowing his brother he must think that if anyone saw the wound they would think him weak for allowing himself to be hurt.  
Kili hissed but allowed himself to be cleaned, grateful that Fili had ducked his face into his shoulder. He didn’t want to worry his brother with the sight of his hurt. Black veins like spider legs spread out from the open wound and crawled up his thigh, blackened blood oozing sluggishly.  
He would be ok though. The pain and dizziness would fade soon and he would be fine.  
“Don’t worry, brother,” Fili whispered, lips brushing Kili’s shoulder lightly as he spoke. “We will soon see the halls of Erebor and Thorin shall be king and mother will join us. And you will be forced to behave like a prince.”  
Kili scrunched his nose. “So will you.”  
The thought of being a proper Crown Prince of Erebor didn’t bother Fili near as much as it bothered Kili.  
“Yes, but you will have to learn to brush your hair and braid it properly.” Fili tugged at the dark locks lying limp across Kili’s shoulders.  
Kili gasped in mock horror. “Oh cruel fate.”  
Fili snorted dryly. “Speaking of, we must get out of this tub and get some sleep so we can meet our fate on the morrow.” He eased himself up and out of the tub, careful not to knock into Kili as he went.  
Kili groaned wearily but got out of the tub all the same. They only had a few hours left before dawn and they could use whatever little bit of sleep they could manage.  
They both dried and dressed in silence. The clothes the Men had given them far to big on them.  
They were to share a bed that night. An actual bed and not a bedroll spread upon hard rocky ground. It was heaven.  
Fili climbed in readily, his eyes already heavy, but Kili just stood at the foot of the bed and stared at somewhere around Fili’s knees.  
“Kili?”  
The younger dwarf raised his head and blinked slowly as if trying to get Fili in focus. “I’m fine,” he muttered. “Come here, let me fix your braids.”  
He sat on the edge of the bed and waited for his brother to move closer before he grabbed the thick yellow hair and started manipulating the unruly curls into braids. He placed two on each side, one just behind each ear and another running above his temples.  
Fili smiled as he watched his brother work with his hair out of the corner of his eye. “I wish you would allow me to braid your hair, Kili,” he said softly, eyeing Kili’s disastrous mess of hair.  
“I have no need of braids, brother. I am barely of age.”  
“And yet you still have accomplished a lot more than many dwarrows your age.” Fili argued. He twitched his lips as Kili tugged at his mustache to get him to turn his head just so. “Just a small one. No one else need know its there.”  
Kili gave a sidelong glance at the older dwarf. “Why?”  
“I think you should have one to mark what kind of warrior you are.” Fili shrugged.  
“And what kind is that?”  
He caught Kili’s hands to stop their movements. “A brave one. The best one. This injury, it will heal and the scar it leaves will prove that you are willing to do anything for the sake of your kin.”  
Kili swallowed hard to fight back the lump in his throat. “I- okay.”  
Fili blinked. That was easy. “Really?” He had to be sure.  
“Yeah,” the youngest shrugged. “Just make it where none of the others can see it.” He turned and tilted his head to give Fili the access to his hair.  
He winced and shifted uncomfortably as Fili set to work on getting at least some of the tangles out his hair. But he kept himself from jerking away.  
If he was to die he wanted at least a reminder of his brother to follow him into the afterlife.  
“Done.” Fili announced, practically glowing with pride at the sight of his brother’s first braid, thin and almost completely obscured by the rest of the dark mass but there. He had put it there.  
Kili raised his hand up to feel curiously. He smiled as he felt the simple slimness of the braid. Still smiling, he tugged a loose bit of thread from his tunic and rapped it around the end of his hair several times. He caught Fili looking. “So it will stay,” he explained.  
“I would have thought you would wait for it to fall out.” Fili said, his voice louder than he’d meant it to be in the quiet of the room.  
Shaking his head, Kili ruffled his hair just enough to be sure the braid was completely covered. It was their little secret. “Nope. I’m keeping it. And when we get to Erebor you can do it properly with combs and beads and everything.”  
Fili grinned broadly. “It would be my honor.”  
“You bet your ass it would. Not every day you get to braid the hair of a prince.” Kili replied haughtily.  
“Well then, Your Highness, lets get some sleep before uncle comes in to drag us off to the Mountain.” He jumped up off the bed and swept the blankets back with a flourish, making it a grand gesture and waiting for Kili to slide in first before he followed.  
He blew out the candle and settled in, his eyes already growing heavy in the dark.  
Kili lay beside him, fingers idly playing with the tiny hidden braid.  
“Hey, Fili?” he whispered.  
Fili didn’t bother opening his eyes but tipped his head closer to his sibling. “Hmm?”  
“Don’t die tomorrow.”  
“I have no plans to die this week, brother. Next week could be a problem though,” he joked. 

 

fin


End file.
